System for cleaning underwater surfaces, improvements and variations

ABSTRACT

A system for cleaning underwater surfaces, comprised of an assembly which includes a brush or abrasive component which presses and scrubs against the surface to be cleaned, and further comprising a fluid jet which drives water away from the surface, consequently producing force against the surface. The brush is a stationary brush, with a handle for guidance by an underwater diver or from an arm at the surface; or the brush may be rotary or oscillatory to aid the scrubbing action. The water jet may be incorporated into a tube which guides the water away from the surface. The tube produces a Venturi or Bernoulli effect which increases the water thrust and thus additional force against the surface.

BACKGROUND

[0001] Underwater surfaces tend to acquire a growth of vegetation, or algae, or life such as barnacles, which cling to the surface and need to be removed. Underwater windows and underwater boat surfaces are examples of surfaces which need repeated cleaning. Sunshine on these surfaces accelerates this underwater growth.

[0002] A common method of cleaning is to scrub off the growth, using a manually operated brush or other abrasive device. Force against the surface is needed during the scrubbing, and the operator requires an object or body to press against. One means for acquiring an object to press against is to use suction cups on the bottom of the boat. Another is to find or make a scaffolding to press against. This invention provides the necessary force against the surface by a reverse water jet.

[0003] For the scrubbing or relative motion of the brush and surface, one way is simple back and forth action using muscle power. Another is to have rotating brushes driven by water or electricity. Water power drive is less hazardous than electric power drive.

[0004] A prior invention accomplishing a similar function is shown in predecessor invention Ser. No. 09/659,407 by the same inventor.

[0005] This present improvement over Ser. No. 09/659,407 patent application differs and adds: a handle for application of muscle power to the back and forth scrubbing operation; adds a venturi, also referred to as a bernoulli, tube to increase force towards the surface; adds a cleaning sock to catch debris, and adds high pressure cleaning jets.

SUMMARY DESCRIPTION

[0006] The system is an assembly with brushes carrying bristles on one side suitable for scrubbing a soiled surface, typically underwater, such as underwater windows or the underwater portions of a boat. On the opposite side of the bristles there is a reverse pointing nozzle emitting a jet, usually water, which pushes away from the surface, and consequently produces mechanical force of the brushes against the surface. There are handles of several kinds on the assembly so that manual power may be used to move the brushes to various locations. The water supply alternatively supplies a turbine in the assembly, and this turbine is geared to rotate the brushes carrier against the surface, thus reducing the amount of manual labor needed for cleaning. The reverse pointing jet is also optionally encapsulated within a tube. The tube guides the water to increase the value of the force towards the surface. The input side of the tube is brought near the surface to suck against the surface and further increases the useful force against the surface. Further, a high pressure source is fed to nozzles on the rotating brushes, and these nozzles are directed at the surface to provide high pressure jet cleaning. The water discharge nozzles of the rotating turbine are pointed out to increase force. A bag or porous net on the guide tube catches debris from the surface.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

[0007]FIG. 1 shows a hand held brush and an attached reverse water jet.

[0008]FIG. 2 shows a cylindrically contained water jet and Bernoulli/venturi effect to enhance force against the surface, and a porous bag to catch debris.

[0009]FIG. 3 shows rotating brushes and high pressure jets to scrub debris from the surface.

DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

[0010] Refer to FIG. 1 and the system 10. There is an object 30, typically an underwater window or walls of an aquarium or bottom of a boat, bearing on its surface 30 layers of algae and dirt 32 and 34. There is the main cleaning body or frame 12 which bears on its lower surface a brush with bristles 28, capable of scrubbing dirt 32 and 34 off the surface of body 30.

[0011] Attached to the upper side of body 12 are several means for causing motion of the body 12 against the surface 30. For the first means, an operator grasps and moves handle 14 back and forth with muscle power to both press 12 down and produce scrubbing motion 36. Body 12 bears brushes with bristles 28 to aid the scrubbing motion.

[0012] For the second means for causing motion of body 12 there is optionally attached to the body 12 a handle 18, connected through pivot 16. With handle 18 the operator may be above the water surface. The operator moves handle 18 to cause reciprocating motion 36 and also downward force, also referred to as pressure, towards the surface 30.

[0013] Attached to body 12 is block 20 bearing a pipe 21. Pipe 21 carries fluid 22 such as water through pipe 21. Pipe 21 is bent away from body 12 and terminates with a nozzle 24. Nozzle 24 emits a jet 26 of water or other fluid.

[0014] As the water 22 exits from nozzle 24 it forms jet 26 and there is reverse or downward force created from the jet 24. The body 12 is forced toward surface 30. The operator need not use his muscle to get surface force or pressure, and needs only to move the body 12 back and forth. The muscle burden on the operator is greatly reduced by the cooperative force of the jet of water 26.

[0015] In FIG. 2 the body 12 has the same function as in FIG. 1. The body 12 bears brushes and bristles 28. The bristles 28 are in two groups 38 and 39. The bristles move back and forth with motion 36. As in FIG. 1 there is a flow of water 22 through tube 21 and this flow is guided away from the body 12 by tube 21. There is a nozzle 40 equivalent to nozzle 24 of FIG. 1. The system of FIG. 2 differs from FIG. 1 in that jet action is enhanced by placing a guidance sleeve 42, also referred to as pipe 42 or column 42, around the jet 40. The water flow from jet 40 propels surrounding water up the sleeve 42. The sleeve 42 around the jet 40 causes surrounding water to be sucked or drawn into the sleeve 42 at the bottom, or surface 30, end The bottom of sleeve 42 is brought close to the surface 30. This sucking is a venturi effect, also referred to as the bernoulli effect. The entry port to 42 is labeled 48. Water flows into port 48 through the space between brushes 38 on body 12 and the surface 30. The pressure between brush 12 and surface 30 is reduced below the ambient pressure and so the downward force of 12 towards 30 is maximized. The water flows through 48 and up sleeve 42 and is labeled 44. Water flow 44 is dispersed through optional net 46 to the surrounding body of water. Debris 32 and 34 removed from surface 30 is separated out by the optional net filter 46, for later disposal elsewhere.

[0016] The functions of handle 14, and handle 18 attached through pivot 16, are the same as in FIG. 1.

[0017] In FIG. 3 the system is modified, improved, and reconfigured further by adding, in an assembly 49, a turbine driven mechanism 62 for rotating the scrubbing brush, and by discharging the water from the turbine mechanism 62 in a direction to aid the downward force of the assembly 49 against surface 30, and by squirting high pressure water from source 80 against the surface 30 to be scrubbed.

[0018] A medium pressure source 50 supplies water over pipe 52 to a nozzle 54 with an exit jet of water 56. Nozzle 54 is surrounded by a sleeve 58 or pipe 58 to produce the venturi action and enhanced force action in the same manner as described for FIG. 2. Water from source 50 additionally flows through pipe 60 and drives the turbine mechanism 62. The medium pressure water 52 exits through orifice 64 in stream 66. Stream 66 flows away from the surface 30 and additionally increases the downward force against surface 30.

[0019] Turbine 62 drives shaft 68 which drives pinion gear 70. Pinion gear 70 drives the larger reduction gear 72. Gear 72 drives the rotating scrubbing unit 74. The bottom side of unit 74 carries scrubbing brushes 90, also referred to as bristles 90, which remove dirt layers 32 and 34.

[0020] A high pressure source 80 sends high pressure water over pipe 82 and through water flow bearing 84 to the inside of scrubbing unit 74. Scrubbing unit 74 is also referred to as a “rotary member 74” or “rotating member 74”. Unit 74 also carries nozzles 86 and 88 which rotate with unit 74. The high pressure water exits through jets 86 and 88 to further scrub and clean away dirt layers 32 and 34. The rotating action of the pressure jets 86 and 88 combined with the scrubbing action of bristles 90 plus overall motion of the assembly 49 covers all areas of the surface 30. Very little muscle power is required from the operator.

[0021] An adverse effect of the high pressure water passing through the cleansing nozzles is that it thrusts the cleaning assembly away from the surface, thus reducing the desired force toward the surface 30. To counteract this undesired effect, extra outward directed nozzles can be added to the assembly. These extra nozzles can be fed by either the medium pressure water, the high pressure water, or other alternative sources. The angle of the head assembly may be adjusted by hand or by simple standoffs from the surface, coupled with a pivoting drive handle, so that the assembly is always in the desired parallel relationship with the surface being cleaned.

[0022] The surface to be cleaned need not be underwater. The useful force, or pressure, obtained from the backward pointing jet, is also useful in above water systems, or ambient air systems, but has the occasional disadvantage in that water is squirted all over, sometimes in undesirable directions. 

I claim the following:
 1. An underwater surface cleaning system comprising: a head assembly formed of a body, a brush attached to said body on one side, said brush moving over an underwater surface to be cleaned, one or more nozzles attached to said body on the opposing side to the said brush, a water supply to said body, said body incorporates pipe means to distribute said water to said nozzles, said nozzles direct water from the body in the opposite direction of said brush to produce force on said brush in the direction of the said underwater surface, a handle on a pivot connected to said assembly, and said handle available to an operator to allow manually powered movement of the head assembly over the said surface to be cleaned.
 2. An underwater surface cleaning system as in claim 1, in which said nozzles are housed within a pipe, said pipe guides the jet stream of water away from the said surface, said pipe entry placed close to said surface causing sucking force between said pipe and said surface, thus further increasing the force of the said assembly toward the said surface.
 3. An underwater surface cleaning system as in claim 2, in which the exit end of said pipe is capped with a mesh bag, said bag allowing water to pass but trapping particles cleaned from the said surface, thus reducing the amount of contamination in the surrounding water.
 4. An underwater surface cleaning system as in claim 1 comprising additionally a water driven turbine, in which the said water supply additionally supplies said water driven turbine, said turbine driving a gear drive to a rotary member, said rotary member carrying brushes bearing scrubbing bristles, and said bristles scrub over the said surface to be cleaned, resulting in better cleaning action with less manual effort required.
 5. An underwater surface cleaning system as in claim 4 comprising additional exit nozzles for said water from said turbine, said exit nozzles pointing away from said surface, and water flow through said exit nozzles further increasing the force on the said assembly towards the said surface.
 6. An underwater surface cleaning system as in claim 4, further comprising a high pressure water source, said source feeding an inner chamber of said rotating member, said rotating member bearing nozzles on the outer perimeter of said rotating member, said nozzle connected to said inner chamber, said nozzles directed toward said surface to produce high pressure cleaning action against said surface, thus additionally cleaning the said surface with a high pressure jet stream of water, and said rotation of chamber distributes the cleaning action over a large segment of said surface. 